The Scout Guide: Elevating Local Business Through Curated City Spotlights

Established in 2010 in Charlottesville, Virginia, The Scout Guide is a woman-founded franchise that delivers a premium promotional platform for small businesses. Created by Susie Matheson and Christy Ford, the brand has grown its footprint to over 90 U.S. cities, offering a distinctive blend of print and digital exposure for independently owned enterprises.

Franchising since 2013, The Scout Guide empowers local entrepreneurs with the tools to champion the businesses in their area. Each franchisee curates and publishes beautifully designed city guides that are distributed at no cost to households within protected territories.

The Scout Guide’s publications highlight a wide variety of businesses—from interiors and travel to fashion, wellness, and lifestyle—while placing strong emphasis on the individuals behind them. More than just an advertising service, the franchise fosters genuine community ties by positioning its franchise owners as local connectors, celebrating the spirit and stories of small business ownership.

Training

The Scout Guide provides a comprehensive training framework designed to prepare new franchisees for operational success. The program covers both foundational skills and advanced business processes, ensuring each franchisee is well-equipped from launch through ongoing operations.

1. Initial Training Program
   This program is mandatory and typically lasts one week, conducted in Charlottesville, Virginia, or online. It includes 13.5 hours of structured content such as business planning, contracts and forms, sales strategies, digital platforms, and compliance operations. Participants receive hands-on guidance and must successfully complete each module to continue with the franchise.
2. Supplementary Training and Seminars
   Franchisees may be required to attend additional training sessions either in-person or virtually. These sessions cover updated operational strategies, system enhancements, and are designed to deepen the franchisee's understanding of business management. Fees for these sessions may be charged, along with any applicable travel or accommodation costs.
3. Operational and Hiring Support
   The franchisor offers guidance on the type and number of employees to hire and helps with sourcing equipment and supplies. While The Scout Guide provides this foundational support, franchisees are ultimately responsible for all employment decisions and day-to-day operations. The franchise also includes access to proprietary systems and manuals that support business execution.

Territory Protection

The Scout Guide franchise offers franchisees an exclusive territory, meaning that within a designated geographic area, the franchisor agrees not to establish another company-owned or franchised outlet selling the same or similar services.

This territorial exclusivity does not depend on the franchisee meeting specific sales targets or market penetration levels. However, the franchisor may reduce the territory size during renewal if population growth warrants subdivision.

Despite this territorial protection, The Scout Guide reserves the right to use other distribution channels, including online platforms, catalog sales, and telemarketing, to conduct business within a franchisee’s territory. These activities may use different trademarks than those authorized for the local franchisee. While these practices introduce some level of internal competition, the franchisor typically directs local service inquiries to the franchisee’s outlet within the protected area.